Fluorescent derivatives of prostaglandins and thromboxanes for liquid chromatography.

Fluorescent esters of the prostaglandins D2, E2, F2alpha, and 6-keto-F1alpha and of thromboxane B2 have been prepared using the reagent 4-bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin. All of these derivatives can be separated in a single run either by thin-layer or high-performance liquid chromatography (TLC or HPLC). As little as 20 ng of PGE2 can be detected after derivatization and HPLC analysis. Identification of thromboxane B2 produced by human platelets and of 6-keto-PG F1alpha produced by bovine aortic microsomes has been achieved with this method.